AFRINIC/RIPE ATLAS

Background

AFRINIC has launched the “African Internet Measurement Initiative”. The initiative includes two main activities:

Building a large measurement network

Analyzing interconnectivity and networking in Africa

To achieve this, AFRINIC decided to join the RIPE NCC’s effort in building a global network of probes and anchors known as the RIPE ATLAS project.

In this regard, during the AFRINIC-19 meeting in Abidjan, AFRINIC and RIPE signed an MoU on “enhanced cooperation on projects of common interest”, the AFRINIC/RIPE ATLAS collaborative project being one of them.

Implementation of the measurement projects started with the distribution of probes to AFRINIC members and the installation of an Anchor at the AFRINIC premises.

Probes will continue to be distributed during AFRINIC events (meetings, training, etc.). Additionally, AFRINIC and the RIPE NCC have designed a new channel of distribution exclusively for AFRINIC Members. Any Member in the region interested in acquiring a probe can simply fill out a form. Probes will then be sent through the mail after evaluation of the application. See below for how to get your probe.

What are the benefits of joining this effort?

Create alarms using RIPE Atlas Status Checks, which work with your own monitoring tools

Earn Atlas credits

As Anchor Hosts:

Get measurement results from hundreds of probes towards your anchor

Get a continual view of the regional reachability of your network

Earn ten times as many credits as probe hosts

As community members:

Access measurements from a reliable, neutral source using a global, distributed system

Gain insight into connectivity and service problems on a regional and global level

Make comparisons between different countries and regions Identify and react to global Internet events

What do I need to host a probe?

An Ethernet port on your home router, switch, etc. to which you connect the probe.

A USB power outlet to power the probe. In many cases there's one on your switch/router. You can also use a USB charger to connect the probe to a power supply.

Bandwidth usage depends on measurements the probe is running. You can always check your probe's bandwidth usage on the probe's detailed information page.

In most networks, the probe will be able to get an IP address with DHCP and nothing further needs to be done to connect the probe. If you do not have a DHCP server already, you can configure DHCP or configure a static IP address (static configuration is necessary for an IPv6-only network).

Credit system

The probes work based on a credit system. When you connect your probe to the network, your RIPE Atlas account is credited and the more the probes remain online, the more credit you will accumulate. The credits can be used to perform your own measurements.